


High School Sweethearts

by chuwaeyo



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Hamilton References, and by that I mean exactly one, fluff /ish, if u can see the one reference to another show i made i fux w u LOL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 13:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15144110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chuwaeyo/pseuds/chuwaeyo
Summary: Aren't we a little too old for this? | highschool au except not really (but kinda really)





	High School Sweethearts

**Author's Note:**

> me: finally takes a break from mcu fics to finish the riverdale fic that went from 1k to 7k words smh I'm a mess  
> hmu @ chuwaeyo on tumblr for anything! recs, shade, it doesn't matter   
> cheers!

Throughout your whole education career, you never, not even once, believed that true love could be found in high school. Especially in Riverdale, the small town turned murder-ville and mystery capital. But that was before you met Veronica Lodge, back when you attended Riverdale High as a student, you only heard tall tales about her and all her friends. You were too caught up with trying to get accepted into college and finish your senior year as volleyball captain to bother with all the drama of high school.

You definitely never expected to see her back in the small town after college. After you got your teaching degree, you returned to your alma matter the second they offered you a position as an English teacher. Imagine your surprise when the next school year, the principle introduced her to the rest of the staff as another English teacher, as if she wasn't stirring the pot and causing the staff constant headaches when you both attended.

Sure she was a year or two younger than you, but Veronica was definitely smarter and much more charismatic than most of the people that ever came out of the town.

You smiled, remembering all the whispers in the hallway the first day she came to Riverdale High, "A literal goddess is walking the halls, steer clear, a new bombshell is in town".

Her cool attitude back then, and even now as she introduced herself to you and the rest of the staff made you laugh, "I don't know what to say, Miss Lodge, back then and even know you're able to put a smile on my face without doing much".

She quirked an eyebrow at you as the rest of the staff slowly filed out to go to the break room or their respective classrooms to prepare for the first day back. "You know, Miss (Y/L/N), you look familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it".

"You ever attend a volleyball match your first year here? I was the captain of the team in my senior year" you flashed her a smile, "other than that I don't think we've ever officially met".

"I may have attended a game once or twice" Veronica smirked and pulled you up from your seat, "Would you care to show me my classroom? It has been quite a few years since I was here and from what that dinosaur of a principal told me, you're basically my partner in the department for upper division English?"

You led the way out of the meeting room and headed down the hall where your classrooms were, "Really? Only one or two games? I know we weren't the Vixens or the Football team, but we were pretty amazing, we were number one in our division with my fantastic leadership".

By the look on her face, you could tell she was joking about one or two games, in fact, if anyone else had asked her, she knew your number by heart and how you would always end up at the bottom of a dog pile by your teammates after your matches when you won (which was all the time, but that's beside the point). Groaning and complaining about how their sweat seemed to drench you in a matter of seconds after the pile. 

But she would also never admit that someone two years her senior had caught her eye when she was so caught up in the mysteries of Riverdale and her romance with Archie, especially when you never gave them a second glance. You were just so caught up in studying and volleyball, getting ready for life outside Riverdale, she can't say she wasn't surprised that you never noticed her or anyone else in the peanut gallery.

She actually thought it was a bit endearing.

"As much as you'd like your ego stroked, I was much too busy with Vixens practice and solving the mysteries of this small town" Veronica grinned, "Thanks for showing me the way to the class, and by the way, are you sticking to the recommended reading list they gave us or are you doing your own? I would love to hear what suggestions you have".

"Well since you asked oh so nicely, I do like to sprinkle in a few favorites outside of our reading list and let students have free choice for our classical lit and poetry section, but they do have to do a small project to make sure they actually do the reading" You leaned against the whiteboard and shrugged, "I am definitely open to more suggestions though".

"It depends, what do you like to sprinkle in?" She leaned back in her chair and beamed at you, "please tell me you're not covering something mundane like 'The Hunger Games' or 'The Fault in Our Stars'".

"I was thinking more '1984', 'Glass Castle', 'Belljar', hell even 'Fahrenheit 451' if their other English teachers decided to not cover them" you laughed at the thought of teaching something like the young adult books she mentioned and offered, "maybe something mundane like 'Harry Potter' just to spite you?"

Veronica scrunched her nose in disgust at your suggestion, even if it was a joke, "and here I thought a small town volleyball captain turned college superstar genius athlete would be able to at least enrich some high school minds after coming back".

"You think I'm a genius?" you grinned "I'm touched, Miss Lodge".

She rolled her eyes again and took one look at the clock, "Whatever, and I think we'll be seeing enough of each other to be on a first name basis, (Y/N), at least not in front of our students". Veronica gave you a wink before getting up from her chair, "I just got back from New York a few hours before I came in, I barely had time to drop off my bags, care to join me for dinner? Please tell me Pop's is still up and running?"

"No matter what changes in Riverdale the one constant is Pop's, don't worry your pretty little head". You pushed yourself off the whiteboard and let her link her arm with yours, "Now please tell me you didn't drive here so I don't have to worry about driving to Pop's and back here?"

Veronica's laugh echoed through the empty hallways, music to your ears, though you wouldn't dare tell her that, "As funny as that would be, making you drive across town and back, I didn't".

"Oh thank god, even if it's a small town gas is still expensive and I don't get paid enough" you laughed and opened the passenger side for her.

"Ah, a gentlewoman after my own heart" She snickered and shot you a soft smile, "my thanks".

You snorted and jumped into the driver side, happy to get some food in your system after the long day listening to Principal Weatherbee drone on and on all day.

The two of you quickly settled into your booth at the Chock'lit Shoppe, Pop Tate himself greeting you both with a large smile on his face, "What can I get for you both? Your usuals? Or have your tastes changed after finishing college?"

"You know me Pop, a good old burger, and a chocolate malt" you returned his smile before rethinking your order, "actually, I think I'll skip the malt, my workout right now isn't as intense as playing volleyball every day I should keep track of what I'm eating".

He laughed at your attempt at healthy habits before turning to Veronica, "and for you Miss Lodge?"

"You know you don't have to ask Pop" She gave him a quick smile, and he left the two of you to get started in the kitchen. "You know... you would've been fine with your malt, from what I can tell, you look like your very best".

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not feeling like my best right now" you let out a small sigh and turned to look out the window, "sometimes it's like I never left, in both a good and bad way".

You took Veronica's silence as the okay to keep talking.

"I'll admit I was never one for Riverdale's drama, I mean, I had enough to deal with at home and with college applications, I was so focused on moving past this chapter in my life and look where I am now..." you took a sip from the waters Pop had dropped off before taking your orders, "I'm still here".

"Do you regret coming back?" Veronica spoke in a hushed but fierce whisper, ready to take your hand and fight whatever demons were holding you back.

"No" you smiled and looked her in the eyes and you swore you were back in high school, hearing about the storm that is Veronica Lodge for the first time, wondering how one small girl could dare stand against so much injustice. "Coming back meant I got to talk to you for the first time".

You decided to hold off on the mess of feelings you had over the town you called home for all your life, after all, it was Veronica's first night back and she thought she would spend it with you. You felt it was your duty to make sure she was all smiles, at least for tonight.

The comment caught her off guard and you swore she blushed from the way she hid her face in her napkin when Pop returned with your orders, but she was smiling again, and that's all that mattered.

"If I had known you were trying to court me I would've dressed much more appropriately (Y/N)". Her confident demeanor returning with a smirk once Pop walked away to welcome new customers. "In fact, I wasn't aware you even dated anyone".

You had to give props to Veronica for being so quick to turn the tables on you, no one ever dared even try because you were so focused on the good of your own future and making everyone smile, they all thought it was just a friendly comment to lift their spirits or the tension in a room.

"Take it as you want Veronica" you laughed and practically inhaled half of your burger, "and I didn't, not in Riverdale".

"Why not?" Her eyes never left yours, even as she picked on the fries on her plate, like she was searching for something in your own.

"Just didn't feel right, I never believed I could fall in love here, our small town riddled with mysteries" you paused to let yourself take a break from talking and inhaling the food on your plate, "I think I didn't want to fall into the cliche of finding the love of my life in another local from here, bound to stay here and keep up appearances for the rest of our days".

"Good thing I'm not a local huh?" She smiled and gave you a wink and everything felt like it would be okay, "New York born and raised until high school".

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn't help the smile that didn't leave your face for the rest of the night, "We get it, you're probably a blessing in disguise or whatever, now I hate to rush a lady while she eats, but I'm sure you have a ton to unpack and get ready before school starts?"

"Now that's a first, I don't think I've ever met someone so quick to be out of my company", Veronica's eyes lit up, some fire in her eyes suddenly aflame.

"I don't think anyone as responsible as me has ever taken you out for dinner" you wiped your hands with a napkin before looking up and noticing a smudge on her chin from her lipstick, quickly taking a new napkin to wipe off the makeup, "didn't have you pegged as a messy eater either".

Whether it was your comment or your actions, Veronica didn't say a word and quietly went on with finishing her meal, speaking up again only to argue with you after you dropped cash on the table for Pop, "you drove here and kept me company my first day and night back here, at least let me pay for dinner".

"Consider it a welcome back gift, and a thank you for the company and conversation?" With the smile still plastered on your face, she couldn't say no and you both said goodbye to Pop before returning to your car. "And may I ask where I am dropping you off?"

"The Cooper residence if you don't mind?" Veronica had her eyes closed and leaned back into the seat, "I've made my amends with Alice and she thinks I'll finally be a good influence on Betty now that I've returned from the big apple with a teaching degree".

"I think I remember the way, Polly and I were partners for some dumb science project once upon a time" you put a hand on her shoulder and waited for her to open her eyes and face you, "Everything alright? You sure you want to go back there right now? Or am I just boring you out of your mind? Don't worry, I won't be offended I swear, I'm basically a seasoned English teacher now, I'm used to it".

"God no (Y/N)! It's not you, I'm just exhausted" Veronica gave you a soft smile before grabbing your hand and taking it in her own, "I guess I just really vibe with what you said earlier, and I'm totally not ready to start teaching, I don't even have lesson plans".

"Lucky for you, this is going to be my second year teaching at Riverdale High, and I've totally mooched off of every other teacher's lesson plan to create the ultimate one for myself" you laughed, glad to see the smile back on her face, "how about after you maybe unpack a little tonight and get some rest, I can meet up with you tomorrow or some other time this week to help plan?"

"Tomorrow would be perfect" the smile hadn't left her face, but it was much happier now, "but please do hurry to the Cooper's I don't know if Alice was kidding about a curfew or not".

With that, you drove to the Cooper's in record time, curious to see if Alice Cooper was still as strict as you remembered her, but not curious enough to get Veronica in trouble her first night back, stopping only when you reached the home, "See you tomorrow Miss Lodge?" 

"But of course Miss (Y/L/N)" she got out of the passenger seat and winked after closing the door, "and don't worry, I slid my phone number into your jacket pocket earlier".

"Pardon me, but how?" You laughed as Veronica gave you a little shrug before walking away.

"A girl's got to keep some secrets (Y/N)" She gave you one last smirk before unlocking the door to find Alice Cooper waiting just behind it with Betty at her side, both ready to scold her just in case she had gotten into trouble.

Their gazes softened when they noticed you in the car so you gave them both a little wave and smile, driving off seeing that Veronica was safe and home.

It all happened so fast you didn't realize just how caught up you were with Veronica until you got a visit in your classroom by Cheryl Blossom a few weeks into the school year. 

After your initial meeting with Veronica, you had met up with her a handful of times before the start of the school year, to help finalize her curriculum and rubrics, sometimes over coffee or shakes at Pop's, or with Betty and Jughead (according to Veronica, it was absolutely necessary for the two most important people in her life to meet ASAP). 

Each time you were together, even if Betty and Jughead were with you both, the two of you engaged in some, constant intelligence and flirtation battle. Constantly questioning the others opinions and the facts they were based on, backhanded compliments mixed in with genuine ones.

If Betty and Jughead didn't know better, they would've thought you were both on the verge of killing each other.

But the reality was much sweeter and more complicated than you thought possible.

You were busy editing drafts of student reports for 'The Great Gatsby' when you heard three quick knocks on the classroom door, calling your attention to the redhead at the doorway. "Cheryl Blossom? Please tell me I'm assuming correctly?"

She mirrored the smile you offered her before walking into your class and taking a seat at one of the desks, "You assumed correctly, now as Veronica Lodge's new flame I want to know more about you".

You dropped the pen in your hands and turned fully to face the younger girl, "uh, what do you mean Veronica's new flame?"

"You mean she hasn't?", Cheryl's confident demeanor cracked for a second before rebuilding itself in an instant, "I meant of course, ever since she came back to Riverdale you've been her greatest confidant and friend besides myself and Betty Cooper obviously".

"I'm her greatest confidant and friend?" You leaned back in your seat and laughed at the thought, "Veronica and I only talk during school hours now that the year's started sadly".

"Sadly? How interesting." She quirked an eyebrow at your choice of words before pulling a takeout bag from her purse and dropping it on your desk, "Oh and before I forget, I didn't just come here to interrogate you, brought you your usual order from Pop's, I know you overachieving do-good types always forget to eat when you work".

Your stomach growled at the sight of the bag, and you have never felt more grateful to see a takeout bag, but you felt a little uneasy thinking about how Cheryl could know so much about you, "Forgive me again if I'm wrong, but I don't think we crossed paths enough for you to know my order from Pop's or my 'type'?"

Cheryl just shrugged before continuing, "I have my ways, dear, it would do you good not to question me or my ways of all things".

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes, "It's nothing bad, geez, I was just wondering".

You continued to go back and forth with each other, with Cheryl gradually moving her chair up to your desk to mooch off of your food until you were interrupted by the sound of heels in the hall and a small gasp, the image of Veronica was a sight for sore eyes though by the look on her face you're not sure that she appreciated you having lunch with Cheryl, alone.

"Cheryl! What are you doing here? I thought we weren't scheduled for a lunch until Friday?" Veronica had a smile on her face and made her way over to your desk, eyes quickly looking over the food before locking eyes with the girl, "I wasn't aware you knew (Y/N)?"

"If it makes you feel better Veronica, she doesn't really" you shot her a smile before returning to your fries, "she's just bribing me with food".

Veronica whipped her head towards Cheryl and looked like she was ready to start a fight with the redhead, "Calm down Ronnie! I just figured I could finally meet the town's infamous volleyball champion since they came back as an English teacher". 

She moved her attention from Cheryl to you, looking for some type of confirmation, but you could only shrug, "I mean I believe it, anyone, that buys me food is a friend for all I care".

"You are absolutely ridiculous" Veronica scoffed and rolled her eyes at how easily you went along with Cheryl, "both of you-"

"Um excuse me, Miss Lodge, I know lunch is almost over, but I had a question about this assignment and I remembered I have to go to work right after school is over today" A student knocked on the door and flashed a smile to you and Veronica.

In an instant, her teacher mode was on and she made her way to the student with a kind smile on her face, "of course Audrey, I'd be glad to help, let's go back to my class and talk".

You weren't sure what gave you away, the lingering stare or the dopey smile on your face as Veronica talked to her student and led her back to her own class, but Cheryl noticed it all, "so are you interested in being Veronica's new flame?"

"Excuse me?" you swallowed your panic and turned to Cheryl, as calm and normal as you could, "I'm not quite sure I caught that".

Cheryl just rolled her eyes and took your hands in hers, "I said, are you interested in her, Veronica Lodge if I have to specify even further for you. Romantically?"

"I uh, don't know, maybe?" you looked anywhere, but into Cheryl's eyes, "Veronica is amazing in all the best ways, she's intelligent, kind, sure she can be sarcastic and maybe even a little dramatic at times, but when she really cares she puts her whole heart into it and-"

Oh god, you were rambling, that was never a good thing. Always being with the volleyball team or your siblings meant it was fast to change a subject in case you ever started rambling, but now it was just you and Cheryl and talking about Veronica.

"You don't have to tell me your whole love story just yet my dear (Y/N)", the younger girl gave your hands a light squeeze, "it's okay, how about we exchange numbers and talk more over coffee or a milkshake at Pop's? That student did say lunch was about over".

Quickly fishing your phone out of your pocket, you unlocked it and handed it to Cheryl with a small smile, grateful that she stopped you from going further, "That student was right, but I do have my free period right after lunch, want me to escort you to your car or wherever you need to be?"

She laughed and handed your phone back, "No need to be so chivalrous, my car is just fine. Besides, I'm sure you have some grading to return to before I interrupted".

After standing up from your seats, you followed Cheryl to her car, making small talk about where and when   
to meet, giving her a small wave as you watched her drive off the lot, taking in the warm August air before returning to your classroom to finish editing the papers to hand back to your last class.

"Alright class, luckily for you lot, I was able to finish the edits on your papers right before class started" You straightened out the pile in your hands before standing up to pass them back to your students, "and so, we are taking a break from the novel itself to focus on grammar".

If your college professors told you that as an 11th and 12th grade English teacher you would still be teaching proper grammar and spelling to your students, you would laugh in their faces, but now, you couldn't believe it.

"The big thing, are commas and modifiers" dropping off the last paper, you returned to the board and quickly wrote down the first example you could think off, "has anyone listened or watched the Hamilton musical?"

You waited a few seconds and smiled at the quiet hands and responses, "in 'Take a Break', it's mentioned that Hamilton wrote what's here on the board, notice the comma after dearest? This simple grammatical move insinuates that Angelica is the person he holds dearest, more than his wife. Compared to if the comma was after her name, it would be seen as a form of address".

The slow nodding in understanding made your smile grow, "and to make it easier, when you write, pretend you're speaking, insert a comma into the sentence whenever you would normally take a breath".

Your class quickly wrote down the notes on their papers, waiting for you to continue, "now imagine this...my dearest", you stopped at the comma, copying the tone and affection in the line you had listened to so many times, and turned to your class when the sound of heels at the doorway distracted you, "Miss Lodge?"

If the students hadn't just learned about the importance of the pause after dearest, they wouldn't be any wiser about Veronica's sudden appearance, her name quickly replacing Angelica's in your mouth. One glance at the class and you saw a few of them pulling out their phones, most likely to share what had just happened with the rest of the student body. (Veronica had laughed at the rumors of the two of you fondly, more so when she saw how embarrassed you were the first time you caught wind of them).

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're needed by Weatherbee, a student got in trouble and they want to see you" Veronica walked into your class and gave your arm a quick squeeze, seeing the worry on your face, "I can watch your class, and don't worry, they're fine".

You nodded quickly, explaining today was more of a grammar-focused lesson, with specific topics you wanted to talk about on a note at your desk, "Class, don't give Miss Lodge here any trouble okay? It would be a shame to have to assign this period an extra assignment for bad behavior".

In response, they all groaned, but you knew they were all good students despite their lack of grammar skills. When you reached the principal's office, you noticed the student that stole Veronica away during lunch, "Audrey? Principal Weatherbee? What's going on?"

"Miss Audrey here was found was found tagging another student's car and won't give up who was helping her do so", Weatherbee sighed and leaned back into his chair, "she'll only talk to you, even after I told her the punishment would be a week's suspension at least".

"Well, Audrey is a good student, I'm sure that she had a good reason to resort to tagging private property", you took a seat and put a supportive hand on her shoulder, "right?"

She quickly nodded, looking up at you with red eyes, "He deserved it for what he did".

"What did he do? You know we're here for you", Audrey, despite being in Veronica's class, was one of your volleyball players (you offered to coach and train the team while the current coach was on medical leave), and she was one of the best, though her tough exterior scared off other students outside the team, "I'm here for you".

What she said was almost a whisper, but you heard it loud and clearly, and you understood why she did what she did. 

Your brows furrowed and you turned to the principal, "sir, Audrey has a right to be mad and hurt, but a week's suspension? That's unfair".

"Miss (Y/L/N), you can't just excuse another student defacing another's property over a small argument".

"Sir by suspending Audrey here instead of the owner of that car for what he said and did to her? You're making the problem worse, as the staff here we're supposed to be helping our students become better people, and this would teach the wrong lesson". By this point, you had gotten up from your seat, almost yelling at your boss and former principal.

With another sigh, he gave up on arguing with you, "I'll be docking your pay to pay for the paint needed to fix the car (Y/N), now take Audrey here back to class".

Even though you were sad about even less money this paycheck, you were glad Audrey (and whoever her partner in crime was) didn't get into trouble, stopping at the vending machine outside the office to buy the girl a Hershey bar. "Here, I know we should be watching what we eat since conditioning for volleyball, but I think it's okay right now, chocolate always helps me feel better".

The two of you stood by the vending machine for a few minutes before she gave you a quick hug in thanks before walking down the opposite hall for her class.

You watched her retreating figure until she turned the corner to her class before returning to your own, seeing the class silently working on edits for their paper or texting on their phones, and Veronica at the front desk grading her own papers, "so efficient you finished my lesson already?"

The sound of your voice made everyone in the room jump, but Veronica was quick to stand up and explain the situation, "to be fair, I couldn't really read your handwriting after I spilled some of my coffee so I just went through some basic rules before giving them free reign".

Too tired to question it, you combed a hand through your hair and leaned against the board, her small smile relieving the tension that followed you after the situation in the principal's office, "That's fair I suppose". You returned her smile before turning to address your class, "since you all got a head start on fixing your papers, I'm expecting a new draft by Friday, and don't forget to read for class tomorrow, alright? Keep working until the bell".

Veronica let you sit in your chair and turned her back to your class to lean on your desk, "everything okay?"

"For the most part yeah, a little shocked at Weatherbee's response at first but everything's all smoothed over".

"And the cost?" 

"What cost?" you matched her steady gaze as you both spoke in low whispers.

"I assume you got her out of trouble without any punishment" Veronica pursed her lips and crossed her arms, "so what did it cost you?"

"Just a docked pay, I've dealt with worse" you smiled and let her give your shoulder a light squeeze, "before I was volleyball captain I used to give Weatherbee hell".

"A true to the bone high school hero then?" She smirked as the bell rang, your students quickly packing up and yelling their goodbyes to the two of you before going on with their days, "You sound like an endearing protagonist of some ridiculous young adult novel or show".

"Okay now that's ridiculous", you got up and erased the board, making a mental note to ask the class tomorrow if Veronica really 'accidentally' spilled some coffee, "Want to do some work together and grab dinner, if you're not busy?" You quickly added the last part, remembering the revelations you brought on thanks to Cheryl, not wanting to seem like you were asking your friend on a date.

Her smile fell and you could swear there was a flash of disappointment in her eyes, "I'm sorry (Y/N), I promised Betty I would go with her and Jughead to interview some Uktena people, see if we can record their narratives before they're completely forgotten".

"Hey, don't worry about it, you're helping something great" When you were away at college you remembered hearing the news of the stolen land, shocked that so much time had passed without any actions taken for the people. "Text or call me if you need anything? Pass that onto Jug too, I'm not sure who feels more like a third-wheel sometimes with you three".

You laughed as Veronica rolled her eyes and gave you a quick hug, "thank you for what you did for Audrey, I'll see you tomorrow?" 

"Scouts honor, Miss Lodge!" you gave her a small salute, and settled back into your seat, pulling out ungraded extra credit projects and papers.

Maybe an hour into grading, your phone buzzed, Cheryl's name flashing on the screen, "Hello?"

"Heard from Ronnie that you're stuck grading papers? A young 20-something like you? Already resigned to grading all day and night?", the sound of her laugh escaped your phone before she continued, "want to have drinks with Toni and me at the Whyte Wyrm?"

You looked at the assignments on your desk, only one or two more and you were done, and at the clock, it was still early... "If you can provide a broke teacher like me with food and drink, I'm sold".

"Of course, see you in what, 20? Veronica told me you basically speed everywhere". 

"Make it 30 or so minutes, I just have two more things to grade, and for the record, I do NOT speed everywhere". You scoffed and Cheryl laughed again.

"Sounds like a plan".

The last two extra credit assignments were ones you had given as a joke, just to see if any of your students actually read the syllabus you gave them at the start of the year, seeing the printed out pictures of them doing some ridiculous pose behind Weatherbee, you made note to give every student in the pictures 5 points extra credit. 

After packing up your things, you shrugged on your jacket and headed out, reaching the bar in 25 minutes. Even in all your years in the town, you have never taken a step into the Wyrm, you were much too lazy to drive all the way from your house to the one halfway decent bar in Riverdale.

You were taking in its interior when an arm slinked around your waist, a head of red hair in your face, "(Y/N)! Glad you could make it, let me introduce you to Toni!"

Even though you only talked to Cheryl once before that afternoon, you could tell it would be better than to disagree with her when her mind was set to something, "I'll be glad to meet him".

The moment you reached the counter and sat down, another woman spoke up, holding her hand out for you, "Her actually, I'm Toni Topaz, Cheryl Bombshell's longtime girlfriend".

"Nice to meet you, Toni, sorry for the confusion" you shared a look before turning to Cheryl and shaking her hand, "I've only known her for a day and I'm not quite used to her vagueness".

"Oh trust me, you'll see past her soon enough" Toni snorted and set down two drinks before the two of you, "heard you came from school, here's something light to start off the night, two strawberry sunrises".

"You know I always appreciate the red-theme in the drinks you make for me Toni, but what about (Y/N)?" Cheryl took the drink and took a small sip.

You raised the glass in thanks and did the same, "I'm more of a straight whiskey person, but I appreciate drinks of all sorts, you serve food here? Cheryl delivered me lunch earlier, but she ate half of it and I'm feeling a little burnt out".

"Anything?" Toni quirked an eyebrow, watching you nod in response before yelling into the back, "Hey Sweet Pea, got a friend here that's hungry, go crazy!"

"I owe you my life, Toni Topaz, and your friend Sweet Pea once I have that food" you laughed, holding a hand to appease your grumbling stomach.

"You know, (Y/N) you look familiar, but I can't place it...you go to Riverdale High?" After another nod, Toni continued, "you play a sport or something? I think I remember seeing your mug in one of the trophy cases back there".

You raised your hands up in defeat, "guilty as charged, volleyball captain my senior year, when Veronica first moved to Riverdale".

Toni's expression remained unchanged, "you got pictures up in other places too?"

It took a few seconds but you remembered the picture Sheriff Keller hung up of you and some alumni in the station after a dumb prank that turned back on you, "you ever take a trip to the Sheriff's Station or Pop's? They decided to memorialize a prank they turned on me there and at Pop's, but I think Pop put the picture down after I came back to town, or at least I hope he did".

"Wait that's you?" Toni's face had a large grin as a man came out with a large plate of food, "Sweet Pea, this person here is the one in the picture at the Sheriff's! You know the one where he and a bunch of deputies are facepalming with a bunch of other adults throwing hella water balloons at some girl!"

"I'm glad my stupidity is more memorable than my volleyball career" You laughed as Sweet Pea placed the plate of food in front of you with his mouth open wide. "It's (Y/N) (Y/L/N) by the way".

"You know there were whispers of Serpents wanting to reach out to you, make you an honorary member for that stunt?" Sweet Pea looked at you like you were some unreal character, "ended up not working out when you skipped town for college".

"Me? Honorary serpent? I don't think I'd be a great addition" you said in between mouthfuls of the food he made.

"Serpents are more of just a huge family now" Toni spoke up, "do you know Jug? After he became the leader he made us clean it all up, figured we can't risk falling apart and being troublemakers after what happened with the Ghoulies."

"Yeah, it's kinda like a gross youth group now" Sweet Pea leaned against the counter, "Not that it's a bad thing, it's nice being able to walk around the northside without being stopped every 5 feet".

"Okay, you big softie we get it" Toni laughed and reached over to steal some of the food on your plate, watching you and Cheryl finish your drinks, "you want that whiskey? And a refill babe?"

"I'll take that whiskey please?" Sweet Pea nodded in approval, filling a glass with ice and pouring the drink in for you, as Toni went to work to make another strawberry sunrise.

"Sure you don't wanna join (Y/N)?" Sweet Pea handed you the glass before closing the bottle, "Cheryl, Betty, and Veronica are basically all a part of us too".

Now it was your turn to have a gaping mouth, you turned to Cheryl for an explanation, as she was just enjoying her drink and watching the scene before her, not speaking a word. "What? Did you want me to wear my jacket this afternoon? I'm surprised Veronica didn't tell you".

You let out an exasperated sigh before laughing, "you know what, Sweet Pea? Toni? I'll take you up on that offer if it's okay? I'd be glad to call you my family".

The other three cheered when a heavy hand patted your shoulder, "you still getting into trouble (Y/N)? Your parents would kill me if I let you turn into a hooligan like these three".

At the sound of his voice, you turned and picked the man up in a bear hug, "FP! It's good to see you! Jug told me you were working out of town since I've been back".

"Finally got some time off at that damn station, figured I'd stop by my old stomping grounds to see if Jug was around, didn't expect to see you with these three", FP smiled and took the seat next to you before turning to Sweet Pea and Toni, "care to get this old man a beer and a burger?"

Sweet Pea nodded and handed FP a beer before returning to the kitchen, leaving the two girls confused, but Toni was the first one to speak up, "if you don't mind me asking? How do you two know each other?"

"FP was the one that took that stupid picture you remember me by", you rolled your eyes as you swatted his hands away from the food on your plate, "Ever since then he's been whipping me into being a responsible student, even though he was the one that convinced me to try to pull that prank anyways".

"Truly small town mysteries" Cheryl spoke up, and you all laughed.

After finishing your food, you decided to stick with water for the rest of the night, talking with Sweet Pea, Toni, and Cheryl after FP decided to go back to his trailer to surprise Jughead. Talking about your time in San Diego for college and all the things you did away from the small town. They were shocked to hear that on top of joining the Volleyball team, your third year you joined a music group at the college, as well as volunteering at school events whenever you had the free time.

You like to think they were more shocked that you still, on top of all your studying and extracurriculars, had time to party and go out every weekend, scrolling through your Instagram, memorializing all the places you've visited and explored with your friends, and concerts and events you went to.

"Are you sure you're not a robot or something?" Sweet Pea groaned and stretched his arms.

"That would make me so much cooler, but sadly no" You laughed and glanced at the clock, "Alright you hooligans, as much fun as I'm having, it is a school night, I gotta go get some sleep in".

"It's only 9:30 (Y/N)" Cheryl rolled her eyes, and the two serpents quickly followed her lead, "You used to party every weekend in college and now you can't even stay out past 9:30?"

You stood up and stretched your legs, "That was before I had to teach teens and coach a volleyball team".

"Whatever you wet blanket" Cheryl might've rolled her eyes earlier, but she was the first to give you a hug goodbye, "drive safe and whatnot".

"Yes ma'am" you gave a two finger salute to your friends behind the counter (you were friends after spending the last few hours together right?), before turning and walking out of the bar to drive home.

It felt like your body went on autopilot, quietly guiding you home and up the stairs to your bedroom where you fell asleep the moment your body touched the mattress, exhausted after the long day. 

You don't know what time it was, but the buzzing by your ear didn't seem to stop and the random dogs you saw before you opened your eyes wouldn't stop barking for you to open your phone so you complied in hopes they would stop, shocked to see Veronica's name, asking you for something or other.

Even if it was a school night, there's no way Veronica would text you this late to talk about school, so you scoffed and thought you were dreaming, quickly typing a message and throwing your phone back down onto the mattress. Falling asleep again just as fast as you had woken up.

You groaned as you got out of bed to get ready for the day, even if you had stopped drinking, your body was in pain from sleeping in a weird position and in all your work clothes, opting for a quick shower and a hot cup of coffee to help you get ready for the day.

As usual, you arrived at Riverdale High at 7 a.m. on the dot, quickly locking your car to enter the school when you noticed Veronica making her way towards the entrance, "Morning Veronica! Wait up for me!"

Instead of yelling back some retort or a tired greeting, Veronica stayed quiet and stopped walking to wait for you, her cheeks flushed from the cold morning (at least, that's what you thought at first).

You placed a hand on her shoulder when she wouldn't meet your eyes, "Hey, everything okay? Are you cold or sick? Do you want my jacket or coffee?"

Veronica quickly pulled out her phone and showed you the messages between you two, your own face immediately flushing at the screen:

V: 'hey I know it's late but do you think you could take the time to watch a class of mine, see how I'm doing?'

(Y/N): 'only if u can take the time to finally take me on a damn date'

Now you were the one that didn't know what to say, her eyes lighting up when she saw you embarrassment, "ah, well um, you know I...there's probably a good reason-"

"I'd be glad to "take you on a damn date", if you'll let me (Y/N)", Veronica rolled her eyes before planting a kiss on your lips to shut you up, laughing at your quick nod in response, "Who would've thought the two of us would be a couple of high school sweethearts?"

"Aren't we a little too late for that?" It was your turn to laugh as the shorter woman planted more kisses on all over your face, not mentioning the marks from her lipstick as you pulled away and walked into school with your arms linked together.


End file.
